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2014 January

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

CT-Banner7.3.13No Saturday Edition

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ice-skaters-blue-hole

 

It was so cold yesterday that skaters were practicing at the Blue Hole for the Sochi Olympics.

nira tocco realtor 9.12

Buffy2[R.I.P. Buffy] I had lived all my life in the keys, Marathon, FL. I was on my third owner, but this was my last. She knew it and I knew it but we were happy and doing fine. I was a slight, thin, buff colored Siamese cat. I had all the food I could want but what the heck I was 20 years old, my bones were brittle and I was old. All my owners gave me freedom and it is a miracle I lived so long just feet from Overseas Hwy, but I was a smart girl, you don’t get to be a 20 year old cat without learning a few things.

I had just survived almost a week with a visitor at my home, I don’t like strangers right away. I kept to myself and never went very far from my home. I might stay away for hours because I sleep a lot and get a little disoriented, but I always went home until that fateful day.

I was daintily walking, maybe a little dazed when these strangers saw me. They watched me then grabbed me and put me in a car. They drove me away from home. Why? They didn’t know me, they didn’t know my neighborhood. They made no attempt to find my owner if they were concerned I was abandoned. Why would they think that, I have a flea collar on and my fur is freshly combed. There is flea powder on my skin. We have been fighting a battle with the fleas because I sleep places I shouldn’t.

Were these new owners I didn’t know about? No. They dumped me at one of those animal shelters. I thought they thought I was sick, there is no doctor here. My owner would take care of me; why did they take me away from my owner? Oh, no, now I do feel sick. My already old body was running at 50% and I feel really stressed out and the acid is building up in my empty stomach because I was on my way home to eat. I am cold, I don’t live in air conditioning. I am passed off and put in a cold metal cage. I am freezing. How long have I been here, it feels like forever. I don’t understand. I want to go home. Why am I here. I really feel sick now.

Day light again, I think, I am really groggy. I don’t feel like eating or drinking, no one notices me anyway. Later they come for me. I recognize my owner, but I am too weak to show it. Once she holds me tight for a while I start to warm up a little. I manage a weak purr, nothing like my strong double purr she was used to. I am glad she is carrying me because I can’t walk very well since I got here.

I am glad to be home and I want to wander. I eat a little and drink some water. I am disoriented and pee on the new bathroom floor, isn’t this where the litter box is supposed to be? She shows me the litter box by the front door and I am confused. I don’t need that, I just peed. I am still very cold and move slowly as the sun moves to stay warm. When I go in at night my owner holds me and keeps me warm. I am not eating the regular food but raw hamburger smelled tempting so I ate a little and drank some water.

The next day I am more groggy and won’t eat or drink. She wonders if I have had a stroke. She calls the shelter to find out if they know why I am sick. What did they put on me for the fleas? They say I was a little wobbly when I came in. The shelter worker suggests Renal failure. If this was true, I was getting sicker since no one was treating me. She calls the vet and talks to him. It is a Sunday, we are poor, she opts for the first slot on Monday and tries again to make me eat and drink. I feel so cold and tired. She puts me on a heating pad and lays near me. I am so groggy and ill I can’t even purr when I want to anymore. I sleep not on the heating pad that night but tucked close to my owner, warm and safe but, oh, so sick.

Up with the light she takes me to the vet hoping I am not past the point of no return, still optimistic, thinking subcutaneous fluids will jump start me. If only she had known when and where the people had taken me. Why didn’t they take me to this doctor–any doctor. If they were really concerned I was sick and they really believe they are humane, why didn’t they do that and pay the bill. Better yet, why didn’t they go door to door and ask someone who owns the cat? Even better why didn’t they keep their noses out of other peoples’ lives that they know nothing about? We were fine, I would have slowly reached the same point had there not been intervention, but it would have been together with my owner, with love, with familiar comfort and understanding.

I died in the vets office because my levels were off the chart and there was no hope of reversal at this point, but had there been treatment earlier, we will never know. My owner is alone now and very sad. She feels the same way I do, if you really want to be a good Samaritan, find the owner of the animal you are concerned about. If that is not possible and the animal is injured or sick, bring it to a vet. If you are going to abandon it anyway, abandon it where it has a possibility of getting care and treatment. If it is not sick, foster it for a while and try to locate the owner through a plethora of free posting sites such as http://keys.craigslist.org/ or https://bigpinekey.com/, there is even a facebook page for lost animals in the Keys. An Animal shelter is the last resort.

Buffy 5/18/1993 – 1/6/2014 

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isaksen-flood-roof 4.23.13
[“Greedy profit”] To some of you, anyone who starts or operates a business is greedy. Most who complain like that don’t have a pot to piss in or understand capitalism or are still sad their commune went bust. Would you have us barter seashells for food or would you prefer buying it from the greedy supermarket?

cough lady

 

[The Common Cold] I thought you caught a cold when someone coughed in your face or something. I got a cold when I was out in the cold rain the other day and got wet. How do you get a cold by being wet and cold? Where do germs come into this? I thought germs made colds.

[Uncontrolled Burn] The fire on Big Pine last night was pretty scary. It burned a few acres of woods on Wildwood. Firefighters from all over came and put it out. Thanks guys! Don’t know how it started, yet?
fanci-11-2-13

[3 Health Fairs] Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West —Keys AHEC and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are Happy to announce the upcoming 43rd Annual Florida Keys Health Fair to be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 9 AM to 2 PM.  Located at Fisherman’s Community Hospital, Big Pine United Methodist Church and Key West High School

Free screening and services include: vision, skin cancer, pap smears, breast exams, HIV testing, bone density, blood pressure, mental health, smoking cessation, neurological screenings, male exams, dental screenings, and much more.

To register please call 305-243-4898, or just show up. Events

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train steam lg[Collision Course] I don’t understand how trains can still have head-on collisions. It seems all it would take is a simple GPS in each engine and someone watching on a monitor at headquarters like they do with buses and subways. Can someone shed some light on this for me? With all the technology today, it doesn’t make sense. Hell, I’ve got an app on my phone that tells me where every plane flying in the world is, can’t they find two trains?
Flea-Market-ad10.9.13
There are lots of jobs here in the Keys.   Many people have 2 or 3 of them.

the brothers dulles8

 

[Scary Book] I just finished the The Brothers Dulles. It is about when a man’s obsession for money overwhelms common decency, honor and honesty. John Foster Dulles was the Secretary of State and his brother Allen Foster Dulles was the head of the CIA under Truman and Eisenhower (There were 3 CIA directors in the family). Together they brought down governments by assassination, lies, deceit, propaganda, shady deals and any other immoral means they could –all for their love of money! Patriotism came in second. No wonder no one trusts America. Link

Wounded service members to bicycle through Key West and the public is invited to ride along. Key West residents have the opportunity to offer approximately 60 combat-wounded service members a real welcome home as the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride will visit Key West Sunday, Jan. 12.

Naval Air Station Key West, Military Affairs Committee (MAC) Key West and the City of Key West are hosting this group of heroes as they bicycle from Boca Chica Field at 10:30 a.m. continuing through Key West to the Truman Waterfront, to arrive at noon, where the warriors will be met with a welcoming ceremony. The public is encouraged to line the streets leading to the waterfront to cheer on these warriors, many of whom have just been released from the hospital for serious injuries they sustained during combat. The public will also have a chance to meet these heroes at the ceremony, which will feature a full honor guard and Key West City Mayor Craig Cates and military leaders welcoming the service members to Key West.

The route will take the warriors down U.S. 1 to South Roosevelt Blvd., along Smathers Beach to Atlantic, and then they’ll ride down White Street to Eaton, down Simonton toward Front, then onto Duval to Southard Street, which takes them to museum ship USCGC Ingham. Events

ad-manley-deboer6.27.13

I can prove that the Political Section of the C.T. wasn’t  filled with brilliant thoughts and ideas. I was allowed to post there daily. My research consisted of 15 minutes of internet surfing. Working 12-14 hour work days doesn’t leave much time for research. I know of 1 poster on here who uses his wife as a research assistant and has all day to produce well thought out responses. 2 people posting with all day to do it will always sound wiser then 1 person with limited time. 

burglry8

 

[Heroes All] On the evening of March 8, 1971, a group of burglars carried out an audacious plan. They pried open the door of an FBI office in Pennsylvania and stole files about the bureau’s surveillance of anti-war groups and civil rights organizations. This brave act changed the FBI as Edward Snowden will change the NSA. Link

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cold tongue stuck frog

 

This morning it is 57°. The wind is out of the North at 15 knots. That gives us a windchill factor of 78 below 0. I don’t care what you say 78 below 0 is chillyyyy!

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

[Citizen Of The Day Says] He loves hanging out with the many friends he has made in the Southernmost City.
advert-dennis-ward8.16.13
[Cute Department] Scottie pup pinwheel. Video

ship8

 

The largest floating vessel in the world is 1,601 feet long. The Prelude, which is owned by Shell, is 150 feet longer than the Empire State Building is high. Link 

[“Greedy profit”] I don’t understand the thinking of people who assume that if you want to be a businessperson instead of working at manual labor you must be greedy? How about if you can’t do physical work? Is it okay then to be a business person even though both have the same chance to make money? Why do you assume they are  greedy? When I read where people call every business idea greedy I imagine the writer being a jealous loser. I might be wrong, but that’s what it looks like.

hell8

 

Yes it’s that cold.

Radio-Shack-1.2.14

[Discover Card Backs Out] We write to inform you of the discontinuation of our Secure Online Account Number program. Effective February 6, 2014, you will no longer be able to create new Secure Online Account Numbers. And effective March 15, 2014, Discover will no longer be offering this service to our cardmembers and all existing Secure Online Account Numbers will no longer be active.

It appears Discover Card is trying to limit thier account holder’s vulnerability to hackers.

truck3n-1-web

 

GMC Ice truck. Video 

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2013-eyeball[Spies Like US] 2014 is the year Americans wake up and reign in the NSA and regain hold of our privacy. Any agency will always want more, whether it’s the military, law enforcement or spies. You can’t trust any of them because they are self-serving. It’s the nature of the beast. That’s why we have controls (that don’t work). I hope this year is the year of the Fourth Amendment.

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Link 

Just for the hell of it Ed, what’s it cost to post messages like FTR Guy does? Link
coconuts-ad-11.13

[Crooks] JPMorgan Chase & Co., already beset by costly legal woes, will pay more than $2.5 billion for ignoring obvious warning signs of Bernard Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme.

That has to hurt the financial giant right where it should! 

an_Spaghetti_fork

 

I  know from repeated use that this animation is a forkful of spaghetti and meat sauce, but my first impression has always been and still is that of an angry hive about to bust out in agitated bees!  It’s also wearing green shades.

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saab8

 

For sale 2005 Saab Turbo Linear conv, 9k, new tires, brakes, tinted windows, 78k miles. Located on Ramrod Key. Classified Ads > Auto 

Dennis Rodman says North Korea is “not that bad. Dennis Rodman is deeply stupid.  ~Anderson Cooper
springers-ad12.30.12
Small fire on BPK in Port Pine Heights.  Link

bomber tnt

 

[Anarchist] ] London, Ohio (Madison County)  A man stopped for speeding in Ohio was charged with illegally making or pos­sessing an explosive device after nearly 50 bombs and four guns were found in his vehicle.

Andrew Scott Boguslawsld, 43, was arrested late New Year’s Day on Interstate 70 west of Columbus. Investigators found two pis­tols, two rifles, 48 explosive devices and tools and mate­rials to make additional explosives, and a remote detonating device. 

[Rescued at Sea] Kevin Wilkinson, veteran Marathon sailor, hit by strong winds and a  disabled boat. Link 

rodman8

 

It looks like Dennis Rodman is the new spokesman for North Korea. I think they make a nice fit. Two cuckoos in a nest.

“Send them back”, City Manager Jones says of the homeless in Key West. Link

johnsons-ad-7.25.13
Did you know they print a list of people that quit smoking in the KW Citizen? It’s called the obituaries.

mac-and-cheeese8

 

[Comfort Food Wednesday] There’s a chill in the air and what better place to warm up then at Springer’s Bar & Grill. It’s comfort food Wednesday and today’s special is baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham. It’s sure to fill the belly and warm the heart after all, it’s made with love just for you.

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al jazeera logo

 

Al Jazeera’s logo looks like a flame.  What does it say in Arabic or whatever language it is? 

[Spies like US] Major automakers are keeping the information about where drivers have been, collected from their vehicle on-board navigation systems. Link 
advert-accurate-home-insp8.14.13
[Disconnect App for Chrome] Says they block 2000+ trackers, about the same amount for Ghostery for Firefox. 2000+ sounds like it really doesn’t cover jack diddly squat. 100,000-150,000+ trackers blocked and now your talking something a bit more realistic. I’m able to block 370,650 crap domains and yet Disconnect can only block 2000? Smell a rat folks? Here’s a clue why. Link

devil8

 

[Equal Rights Under the Constitution] Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, eh? This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into. This is all about the state legislature funding a statute of the Ten Commandments at the state Capitol. Now everyone wants one. I’m just as glad as anyone that Moses broke the other 5 like in the movie by Mel brooks.

Group unveils Satan statue design for Oklahoma. Video

[Pets] CheapShots will be back in the Keys this Fri through Monday doing low cost veterinary services. Call 305-390-0325 or go to CheapShots.us for more info.
chamber-ad10.17.13
It is so cold here that I saw a couple of rubenesque Jersey girls just fall off of their bar stools last night. No big surprise that nobody tried to warm them up.
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an_grass-seed

 

[Farming] Seattle, Washington state could be facing a curious economics problem: too many pot growers. According to updated fig­ures released Tuesday, more than 2,600 applications have been submitted to produce the marijuana that will be sold at state-licensed stores when Washington’s legal marijuana industry opens for business around the middle of this year.

[Free Clinic] The Good Health Clinic, the only free clinic for the poor in the Florida Keys, has announced that Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) Sharon Calvert has joined its team.

“We are happy to offer a choice of quality medical providers to our patients,” said Good Health Clinic executive director Jennifer Rickmann. Sharon has been volunteering every Tuesday for several months now, and patients are able to request her for their appointments.

The Good Health Clinic recently expanded its hours of operation and is now open five days a week. Calvert joins medical director and founder Dr. Sanford Yankow who works 30 hours weekly at the Tavernier clinic, and dermatologist Leslie F. Safer who volunteers at the clinic one morning per week. Additionally, more than 20 South Florida medical professionals provide free services to Good Health Clinic patients in their private offices, many through the Baptist Health South Florida network. All patients provide documentation of household income at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. 

politics-zone2
from the right

censored8It seems that our Deer Ed has given more thought to his/her decision to ban politics from CT. Recently CT has been packed with political issues. Nearly every day we read postings about “grinder pumps” and various machinations about the nascent sewer system. Politics all.   Or we read about interviews with various local politicos and their views on sundry local issues. Politics all. The other day there were postings about merchandising the bike paths and unemployment compensation. More politics. There were postings about the Mosquito Control Board and about “sewer meetings”.  Still more politics. There was an interview with the Marathon Mayor and a promise of an interview with a Marathon City Council person. Politics all.  There were a couple of postings about the ACA, certainly a political hot potato. A poster commented on the Iraq war, and the recent fall of Fallujah, more politics. There was even a posting about global warming, also a political hot potato.

The point is that our daily lives are intimately entwined with politics.  There is virtually not a single activity that we can engage in that is not affected by politics, local, national, or international. It matters not how much we try to deny it, our lives are ruled by politics.  While many of us claim that politics is of no interest to them, politics is a major driver in their lives. The roads we drive on, decided by politics. Zoning, decided by politics. Taxes, decided by politics. The operation of the internet, decided by politics. The design of the car you can buy, decided by politics. Face it Deer Friends, politics rule this world, you can do your very best to ignore politics, or you can do your very best to shape your world and to get involved.

National politics are the focus of my interest because I believe that such matters are at the very core of our national existence.

I fully concur with our Deer Ed’s decision to reject the goofy and nasty ad hominem attacks. But I do hope that he/she will continue to publish calm and reasoned points of view from all corners of the political compass.

Respectfully submitted. Please send me your comments at 1776ftr@gmail.com

(Ed: I don’t believe I’ve ever written I was 86ing ‘politics’. I’ve always written ‘national politics’ — big difference. I’ve always corrected posts that say politics for national politics.)